A Teen-ager’s Forum

I don’t know if teens are counted among children’s programming, but one of the most valuable in that category is, alas, no longer on the air.

It was called “Teen Talk” and had the best host this side of Bill Moyers. (The KCAL show was canceled earlier this year.)

Just about every subject of interest and urgency to teens was covered, from teen-age prostitutes to keeping your grades up while being passionate about a dancing career, from a boy dying of AIDS to how much you should spend on Prom Night.

I know that you can’t beat the daytime talks shows for wide range of subjects, but “Teen Talk” was strictly for and about teens. Its host, Joseph Feinstein, was every bit as caring as Oprah and as charming as Donahue, and never had to have the circus elements necessary to the others because of the competition. Come to think of it, is that why it’s no longer on the air?

Stacey Wellman, Van Nuys